Canine Fitness Connection

Canine Fitness Connection Hi, I'm Hannah and I’m a Professional Dog Trainer, canine fitness trainer and canine hydrotherapist.

I offer positive dog training along with canine fitness sessions.

11/05/2026

Want to learn more about gridwork, strength and power conditioning exercises?

Check out our agility fitness challenge!

11/05/2026

Gridwork is often well known in agility, but still gets missed out with most of the people I speak to.

And even when people do gridwork, often they only set out gridwork drills in the early stages of agility.

I also hear a lot that people are unsure of how to set drills up correctly which puts them off, so they miss it out through a lack of understanding.

It’s such a crucial part of agility, helping to improve so many things:
🐾 Jump arc
🐾 Correct lead leg & coordination
🐾 Weigh distribution & balance
🐾 Ability to read distances
🐾 More effective deceleration and acceleration

All of these things help improve performance and reduce the risk of injury.

Gridwork should just be something you pick up for a little while then drop.

There are so many gridwork exercises available which can be advanced and help your dog improve at many levels.

If you want to learn more about gridwork, including demos and how to set them up, they’re included in our 12 week agility fitness challenge.
Along with strengthening and power based exercises.
A comprehensive warm up for agility dogs.
And if you want more knowledge there are 6 webinars included too!

If you’re interested in learning more, comment gridwork below 👇

08/05/2026

Many agility “training problems” aren’t really training problems at all.

Wide turns
Inconsistent weaves
Dropped bars
Messy lines
Struggling with tight sequences

These are often signs that your dog’s body is struggling, not their brain. Especially if you’ve been training them for a while and they’re still not “getting it”.

Strength, stability, and body awareness are the foundations that make agility feel easy for your dog — and when those foundations are missing, everything else becomes harder than it needs to be.

The best part?
You don’t need fancy equipment or long sessions to start improving this.
Just simple, consistent conditioning.

If you want a breakdown of what to work on first, comment “agility fitness” below for details on our 12 week agility fitness course.

05/05/2026

Another weave pattern explained!

As you can see here we have double stepping on both sides of the weaves initially, then about halfway through the footfall switches to hopping on the right side (or left as you’re looking at the video) and continued double stepping on the left.

This inconsistency shows a weakness in the shoulders, which was also evident through other exercises and parts of the course.

Did you manage to spot this one?

04/05/2026

Can you see the problem?

I’ll give you one clue, it’s to do with the front legs!
What’s going on with the footfall here? 🤔

Comment your guesses below and I’ll reply to your comment when the explanation reel is up!

01/05/2026

The striding grid is a powerful way to teach your dog how to read distances, adjust their stride, and commit to an accurate takeoff point as spacing changes. It develops better decision‑making, cleaner jumping, and the strength and control needed for consistent performance on course.

The layout uses three low jumps in a fixed bounce grid, followed by a fourth jump that you move gradually in and out. Jumps 1–3 stay at equal spacing so your dog learns to bounce cleanly through them with rhythm and confidence. Jump 4 is the variable element: by shifting it slightly further away each rep, and then bringing it back in, your dog has to assess the distance, organise their stride, and choose the correct takeoff point without relying on your motion. A visible target placed about 3 metres beyond the final jump helps maintain forward focus and encourages a committed line.

When the grid is working well, you’ll see clean bounces over the first three jumps, one clear stride before jump 4, and a confident, efficient jump with no hesitation. If your dog adds strides, shortens, or second‑guesses, adjust the distance or lower the height to keep the learning smooth and successful. The goal is quality, not volume.

This exercise is especially valuable for dogs who rush, flatten, or struggle with consistency — and for dogs who tend to over‑rely on the handler instead of reading the spacing for themselves. By working through controlled distance changes, your dog learns to make better decisions, stay forward‑driven, and jump with more accuracy and confidence.

If you’d like more gridwork exercises — plus the full setup, distances, and step‑by‑step instructions for this one — they’re all included inside my 12‑Week Agility Fitness Challenge starting 26 May. Comment if you want the details!

29/04/2026

Cavaletti!

Here are just a couple of the common issues we see with cavaletti and how we can fix them.

Do you have any issues with cavaletti poles?

If you’re seeing knocked bars, wide turns, missed weave entries, inconsistent jumping, or those frustrating “good one da...
26/04/2026

If you’re seeing knocked bars, wide turns, missed weave entries, inconsistent jumping, or those frustrating “good one day, off the next” sessions… your dog might not need more agility training. They might need the strength, stability and movement foundations that make agility skills safe, repeatable and confident.

That’s exactly what the 12‑Week Agility Fitness Challenge is designed to build.

Here’s what you get inside the programme:
✨ Weekly fitness plans that build strength, stability, balance and safer jumping mechanics
📚 Progressive exercise library designed specifically for agility dogs
🟦 Gridwork exercises to improve jump technique, deceleration, acceleration and turning ability
🎥 Six in‑depth webinars so you understand why each element matters
📈 Clear, structured progressions so you always know what to do next
💬 Private WhatsApp group for support, questions, form checks and motivation throughout the 12 weeks
🎯 Optional Premium Upgrade with 1‑to‑1 online sessions covering gait, posture and performance analysis, plus tailored guidance for your dog’s individual strengths, weaknesses and goals

Perfect for:
🐾 Inexperienced dogs building foundations
🏃‍♂️ Competing dogs needing better strength and control
🔁 Dogs struggling with consistency, confidence or recurring niggles
🧠 Handlers who want a clear, expert‑led plan instead of guesswork

This programme gives you the structure and support to help your dog move with more power, control, and confidence — and reduce the risk of injury.

If you want to build a stronger, safer, more consistent agility dog, find the link in the comments!

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me.

26/04/2026

Ready to build a stronger, safer, more powerful agility dog this year?

My 12‑Week Agility Fitness Challenge starts 26th May, and it’s designed to give you the structure, coaching and progression most handlers never get access to.

Across 12 weeks, you’ll follow a clear, science‑led conditioning programme that builds your dog’s strength, power, coordination and agility‑specific fitness in a way that’s achievable for busy handlers. Every exercise, grid and progression is explained so you always know why you’re doing it and how to tailor it for your dog.

You’ll get 6 in‑depth webinars, all at 5pm BST on Tuesdays, starting 26th May and then every other week up to Week 11. Can’t make them live? No problem — every webinar is recorded so you can watch at any time.

Inside the challenge you’ll find:
• Weekly fitness plans with clear progressions
• Strength, power, plyometric and coordination work
• Progressive gridwork from foundations to advanced patterns
• Warm‑ups, cool‑downs and safety guidance
• Biomechanics‑based explanations to help you train with confidence
• A private WhatsApp group for support, questions and video feedback
• A structured path that builds your dog’s ability week by week

Whether you’re preparing for competition, rebuilding foundations or wanting a safer, more athletic agility dog, this programme gives you the tools, coaching and accountability to make real progress.

If you want your dog to feel stronger, jump better, turn tighter and stay sounder — this is for you.

Starting 26th May 2026!

Let me know in the comments if you’re interested!

21/04/2026

Love how many people got invested in their dogs weave pattern after my last post! Lots of you asking for exercises to work on this.

Today I wanted to share a nice easy one to get you going, this it a Back Paws On (BPO) Pivot. I usually find everyone does a Front Paws Pn Pivot, but many have never tried back paws on.

This shifts weight into the forelimbs(and the height of your platform will dictate how much so start nice and low so not to overdo it) while working the shoulder adductors and abductors (the muscles that pull the forelimb away from the body and back towards it). These muscles are absolutely crucial when weaving, but also for tight turns, take-offs for round the backs, slices etc.

To add in some progressions or to increase range of motion you can add slightly raised targets at either side, or you can add a pile or two for them to step over.

Remember for agility we are training for strength and power so we don’t need high numbers of reps. This is a strength exercise not power. If you aren’t sure on reps, check out our blog post on the correct reps, sets and rest for the element you’re training (link in bio).

This exercise alone won’t fix your weaves but it will help. If you want more exercises to help strengthen these muscles, check out our Agility Fitness Challenge! Let me know if you want more details on this.

As always with these exercises, your dog should not perform them if compromised in anyway. If you’re not sure seek advice from a professional.

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